Advertising-supported distribution of audio-video data may be implemented from a content server to remote client devices over computer networks, telecommunications networks, and combinations of such networks, using various methods, for example progressive downloading or streaming. Platforms for such distribution may include sites that offer a great variety of different programming, including both newly released episodes of serial programs, major features, documentaries, special events, archives of past episodes and classic serial programs, of different types targeted to users having various different demographic profiles or located in different area, and in various formats for use on different kinds of player devices. One or more video ads may be inserted into each video program and sold to advertisers who are charged based on how many times each advertisement is played on a client device; i.e., for each video ad impression.
Prospectively, it may be desirable to provide estimates to advertisers concerning how many ad impressions are available for purchase in a particular future time period for a defined target, which target may be defined by various attributes, for example, demographic, geographic, program format, program genre, or time-of-day. Such information, sometimes referred to as “ad inventory” may be useful for planning advertising costs/revenues and generally facilitating commerce. However, because of the complexities of sophisticated video content platforms, prior methods of estimating ad inventory in a streaming video system may be inaccurate. For example, prior methods may assume that targeted attributes can be handled independently for estimating purposes, and may become inaccurate when the targeted attribute exhibits a degree of interdependence. Consequently, management of ad inventory based on prior estimation methods may be prone to problems such as unanticipated surpluses or shortages of ad inventory, or high uncertainty. These and other limitations of prior methods for estimating and managing ad inventory in a streaming video system may be overcome by the novel methods and apparatus disclosed herein.